Heel trimming machines



B. J. M. MURPHY ETAL 2,802,226

HEEL TRIMMING MACHINES Aug. 13, 1957 s sheets-,sheet 1 O IiiginalFiled May 23, 1955 l; Sheets-Sheet 2 B. J. M. MURPHY EIT'AI.y HEEL TRIMMING MACHINESA Aug. 13, 1957 Original Filed -May 23, 1955 Ag- 13, 1957 B. J. M. MURPHY Erm. 2,802,226

HEEL TRIMMING MACHINES original Filed May 25, 1955 s sheets-sheet s l In uenfors Brian MMU/phy zfOZ/z R Pope :in the cutter head by means of a rotatable plate. '.quently, therefore, to trim a given shoe two `adjustments Aare required necessitating considerable .skill onrthe part 'HEEL GMACHINES Brian Julian Maurice Murphy and 'John Rose Pope, LeicestenEngland, assignorsto United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., and Boston, lMass., a corporation of New Jersey .Original application May`23, 1955, Serial No. 510,426.

Divided and this application June v420, 1956, Serial No. 592,678

3 Claims. (Cl. 12-90) This invention relates to machines for trimming porbtions of partially fabricated shoes and lmore Vparticularly Ato a heel trimming machine ofthe type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 961,752, granted June `2l, '1910, on an application 'filed Yin the name of l. "N.

Busell and Ato a machinedisclosed in application'for United VStates Letters Patent Serial No. 510,426, filed lMay 2.3,

`1955, of which this application is a division.

'The 'Busell'machine is provided with a ,crease guide vor guard attachment surrounding one end of the cutting vblades and is arranged to engage the crease formed between `the heel and the shoe upper, Vfrequently called the rand crease. late'howclose to the upper 7the heel lis trimmed while The purpose of'thecrease guide is to regupreventing the blades from damaging the upper; that is, the relative positions of the crease guide "and the cutter blades determine the extent to which Vthe periphery of 'the trimmed heel projects beyond the periphery of Jthe upper at the rand crease. The spacing .between the blades and Vthe shoe upper must be adjusted over a wide range toaccommodate the various styles of shoestobe trimmed,

and to provide for adjustment-of the spacing, the periphery o f the crease guide of 'the' Busell machine is stepped tok provide three concentric `shoe engaging areas any one of which may be employed at one time. 'If finer adjustment than can be provided with the crease guide is necessary, it is obtained by adjusting 4,the positions ofthe blades Fre- .of theoperator. y

Accordingly, an object-of this invention vis .to provide aheel trimming machine having a single easily operated `mechanism requiring a minimum of skill for varying accurately the amount the periphery of the trimmed heel Aprojects from the periphery of .the shoe upper.

Another object of this invention is to provide a .heel trimming machine with improved means -.to vary accurately the -position of a shoe Vrelative to a `heel trimming ycutter without changing the location of the cutter blades.

'In accordance with these objects and as al feature of this invention, the trimming machine herein illustrated is provided with a cutter head ycomprising a pair of ribbed clamping members between vwhich cutting D.blades Aare removably secured, a crease guide shrouding one end of the blades and having a shoe tengagingperiphery adjustable relative Ito the cutting blades and constructed to provide minute `variations in spacing between its -shoe Vengaging periphery and the circular path l.in which the cutting edges of the 'blades rotate. By constructing the crease guide in the form of an involute, it isunnecessary 'to make more `than one adjustment to control how close Yto the upper the heel of a given shoe is trimmed, 'the single adjustment being therotation ofthe involute shaped crease guide.

The above and other features of the invention, including novel edetails of construction and .combinations of ICC parts, will now be described with reference 'to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,j

Fig. l is a front elevation partly in `section lof the op- -erating portion of one form of machine embodying 'the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section of the part of the machine shown in Fig. 1 with the cutting head assembly removed; and

vFig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the shape of a crease guide viewed from the right of the machine in the position shown in Figs. 1 and '2, but on an enlarged scale.

The heel trimming machine 'herein illustrated is generally similar in construction and method of operation to the machine disclosed in the aforementioned Busell 'hub member S'iixedto the shaft 4 and a mushroom shaped ribbed member 1i) iixed to a shaft 12 which passes through an axial bore in the cutter shaft 4. Threaded in the shaft 12 is a screw 14 which, when rotated in a clockwise vdirection, draws the ribbed member 10 toward the ribbed hub 8 to clamp a pair of cutter blades 16 therebetween, ec-

Vcentric ribs (not shown) formed on the opposed faces of the members '8 and 10 engaging mating grooves 'formed in :the blades 16acting as guideways for the blades. The ribs and the blades 16 are similar to the parts referred to as l() and 12, respectively, in the above-mentioned patent to Busell, although the ribs may be formed on theblades .and the mating recesses in the members 8 and 10. A

keyway 20 formed in the shaft 12 engages a complemen- `tary key iixed in rthe :cutter shaft 4 Vto prevent relative lift rest 22 and :adjacent the `blades 16 is va work rest 24 tadjustably 4clamped in the machine frame :6. The `top rotation of the ribbed members 8 and 10.

:Surroundingpart 'of the ribbed hub member 3 is `aztop lift rest and ithe work restvresp'ectively'are similar in Yconstruction yto the top liftirest v22 and the work rest 26 vdescribed in the Busell patent.

-Cooperating with the top lift rest `22 and the'work rest 24 to support and guide a shoe as its heel is presented to the cutting Vhead is the crease guide 26 which shrouds `the mushroom-shaped member 10 (Fig. ;1`).

'The crease guide yis in the form of a dished plate fhaving a'stud 30 fixed to its-convex surface, the center of which stud lies on an axis C. The work engaging portion of the periphery of the crease guide is in the form of an involute and will be more fully described hereinafter. The stud 30 is supported in a bore vin theV enlarged righthand end of a slide 32, and isrestrained from axial movementbya pin 34 (Fig. 1') fixed in the slide andengaging a groove 36 (Fig. 2) formed inthe stud and extending part way around lits periphery. In order to adjust the Work `engaging portion of the crease guide relative to `the cutting blades 16 as will be explained in more detail hereinafter, the crease guide is rotated on its axis C relative to the slide 32 but this movement is limited by the pin 34 engaging the end of the groove 36.' A clamp screw 38 threaded in the slide engages the stud to enable van operator to lock the crease guide in a desired angular position. Graduations 33 marked on the crease guide assist the operator in selecting .the angular position.`

The main portion of the slide'32` which is cylindrical and coaxial with the stud 30 is axially adjustable in 'a carrier 40. A key 42 (Fig. l) iixed in the carrier engages tends to prevent backlash developing in this mechanism I and to prevent inadvertent rotation of the adjusting screw 44. Graduations (not shown) corresponding to different width cutter blades are marked on the slide to assist the operator in adjusting the crease guide to a desired position so that it just shrouds the ribbed member 10.

The carrier 40 is pivoted on a vertical stud 54 fixed in the forward end of a link 56 the rearward end of which is fixed by means of a clamp screw 58 to a vertical pin 60 journaled in bearings 62 and 64 in the frame 6. Extending rearwardly from the carrier 40 is a flange 66 having formed in it an arcuate slot 68. A link 70 is adjustably secured to the ange 66 bymeans of a clamp bolt 72 passing through the arcuate slot and having an enlarged head 74 engaging the lower surface of the flange. A wing nut 76 threaded on the bolt 72 enables the operator to clamp the link 70 in any position along the arcuate slot. Graduations 78 along the slot assist the operator in positioning the link 70 for a purpose to be explained hereinafter. The rearward end of the link 70 is pivoted on an eccentric portion 89 of a bolt 82 adjustably mounted in the frame 6 and secured thereto by means of a lock nut 83. The bolt S2 is in a position (see Fig. 2) forward and to the left of the pin 60.

The carrier 40, and consequently the crease guide 26, is urged to the right, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of a tension spring 84 secured to the frame 6 and to an arm 86 fixed to the lower end of the pin 60. Movement of the crease guide to the right under the action of the spring 84 is limited by an adjustable stop screw 88 threaded in the link 56 and held in adjusted position by a lock nut 90. The forward end of the stop screw abuts a portion of the frame 6.

Referring to Fig. 1, the dotted outline of a shoe is shown in position to have its heel trimmed. The heel is supported on the work rest 24 with its top lift in engagement with the top lift rest 22. The crease guide 26 engages the shoe in the crease between the heel and the upper which is frequently called the rand crease. It will be noted that the distance from the top lift to the rand crease is greater at the rear of the heel than at the front or heel breast. Therefore, as the shoe is turned by the operator to present successive portions of the heel to the cutter, the crease guide must yield to the left as the rear of the heel approaches it and then must return to the right as the second side of the heel is trimmed, the crease guide at all times being in engagement with the rand crease. The amount of movement is relatively slight and just equal to the difference in the heel height from front to rear and varies, depending on the shoe size and style.

The arrangement of the links 56 and 70 supporting the carrier 40 and their associated mechanisms permit the crease guide to yield against the force of the spring 84, the positions of the various above-mentioned adjustable members determining the path of movement as now to be described. When the crease guide is in the position ready for use it shrouds the ribbed member 10 the position of which, lengthwise of the cutter shaft 4, depends on the width of the cutters clamped in the cutter head. The cutters are selected to accommodate the height of a heel to be trimmed. In this position the axis C of the stud 30 lies substantially parallel to the axis B of the cutter shaft 4 and a little below it. The bolt 82 is rotated initially so that its eccentric portion 80 acting through the link 70 makes axes B and C parallel. The radius of the arcuate slot 68 is equal to the length between centers of the link 70; therefore, any adjust ment of the bolt 72 in the slot does not affect the parallelism of the axes.

Adjustment of the slide 32 in the carrier when the crease guide is in its starting position moves the crease guide lengthwise toward or away from the ribbed member 10, the cutter size graduations on the slide 30 enabling the operator to set the crease guide in the appropriate vposition for the particular pair of cutters being used.

The stop screw 88 is initially used to make the rough adjustment of the crease guide relative to the cutters and the knurled knob 46 `to make the fine adjustment.

By adjusting the bolt 72 in the slot 68 the operator determines the path followed by the crease guide as it moves yieldingly away from the cutter head in accordance with the style of heel to be trimmed. The most suitable path to be followed for a particular style of heel is determined by trial land error, the slot graduations 78 assisting the operator to obtain a setting shown by experience to be correct. When the machine is used to trim a low heel, the yielding movement of the crease guide is small and the setting of the bolt 72 relatively unimportant.

The arrangement of the carrier 40, the links 56 and 70 and their associated mechanisms which provide for this path of movement is well known and is not described in further detail.

Owing to the involute shape of its periphery, angular adjustment of the crease guide 26 about the axis C of the stud30varies the distance between the axis of the cutter head B and that forward shoe engaging portion of the periphery of the crease guide which engages the crease formed between the heel and the upper of the shoe. Therefore, Iangular adjustment of the crease guide 26 de termines how close to the crease the cutters trim the heel.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the shape of the crease guide as seen from the right side of the machine in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 when the crease guide is in Istarting position shrouding the ribbed memberltl. An intermediate portion A of the involute portion DAE of the periphery DAEFI of the crease guide 26 is shown turned into the shoe engaging position, this shoe engaging position being in front of and level with the cutter head axis B.

The involute portion DAE is generated by the end of a straight line rolling on a hypothetical circle .T which has its center on the axis C of the stud and passes through the axis B of the cutter shaft; thus, the radius of the circle J is equal to the Idistance between the axes B and C. It will be seen that the shoe engaging portion A of the crease guide lies approximately on the arc GH (shown as a dotted line) which is struck about the axis B of the cutter shaft. Because of this the shoe will remain at a desired distance from the cutters should it engage the crease guide at a point somewhat above or below the axis B of the cutter shaft.

Since the crease guide is adjusted about the axis C and is required, in one position at least, to tit close to the ribbed member 10 (which rotates about the axis B) it is necessary to limit the involute portion DAE to about two-iifths of the periphery of the crease guide, and to limit angular movement of the crease guide (by means i of the pin 34) to avoid contacting the ribbed member 10 in one'position or another of the crease guide.

Arcuate portions DI and EF of the periphery of the crease guide blend lsmoothly with, and form continuations of, the involute portion DAB since they may engage the shoe, on occasion, should the operator cause the shoe tocontact the crease guide at a point above or below the axis B of the cutter shaft, when the crease guide `is set in an extreme angular position.

'the cutter head, thereby providing a working surface on which the shoe can be swung without causing it to move appreciably, inwardly or outwardly, radially of the cutter head. Therefore, because the Working portion of the crease guide is an involute rather than a series of stepped arcs, as in the prior machines, the shoe may be positioned with maximum accuracy at a desired distance from the axis of the cutter head and the path of the cutting blades. The operator may thus vary by any desired amount, however small, Ithe closeness with which the cutters, as they trim the heel, approach the upper `of the shoe.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a heel trimming machine having a cutter head rotatable about a first axis and mounting a plurality of cutting blades, a guard attachment shrouding one end of the cutting blades and adjustable about a second axis parallel to and spaced from said first axis, said guard attachment having a shoe engaging periphery 'in a plane substantially normal to said second axis and formed in the shape of an involute generated by a straight line rolling on a circle having its center on said rst axis and passing through said second axis.

2. In a heel trimming machine having a cutter head rotatable about a rst axis and mounting a plurality of cutting blades, a guard attachment shrouding one end of the cutting blades and adjustable abo-ut a second axis parallel to and spaced from said first axis, said guard attachment having a shoe engaging periphery in a plane substantially normal to said second axis and formed in the shape of an involute of a circle, and means mount-ing the guard `attachment for yielding movement substantially axially `of the cutter head in a predetermined path during trimming,

3. In a heel trimmngmachine having a cutter head rotatable about a rst axis and mounting a plurality of cutting blades, a guard attachment shrouding one end of the cutting blades and Yadjustable about a second axis parallel to and spaced from said rst axis, said guard yattachment having a shoe engaging periphery in a plane substantially normal to said second axis and formed in the shape of an involute generated by a straight line rolling yon a circle having its center `on said irst laxis and passing through said second axis, and means to adjust said shoe engaging periphery rotatably about said second axis whereby the distance between said shoe engaging periphery and said first axis may be varied.

References Cited in the filevof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

